HR interview questions and answers for senior executives 1.

Assuming that you are selected, what will be your strategy for next 60 days?
If I am selected for this position, Ill use my initial 60 days in understanding my role carefully in terms of the contribution to the business and increasing the overall profitability. Ill sit with my line manager and other juniors to understand what has already been done and what its impact has been. From there on, Ill formulate my strategy to growth in close conjunction with managers and see that it is properly implemented.

2. How would you improve upon our product/ company?

Since Id be coming from an altogether new environment, I am bound to possess a new perspective towards everything here including the company, product, customers, environment, strategy etc. This will enable me to constructively question things which anyone else here might not do. This will help in improving the things and making the product & company better. Having worked closely with product development team I understand how the research for product development is carried out and how is customer requirement analysed; Id be able to provide a value addition there too.

3. Dont you think, you are overqualified for this position?

You might feel that I possess more degrees than you require for this position. But, I believe that I grow everyday when I talk to my staff, customers and superiors. So, basically the learning process continues through out the life I dont think I am over qualified.

4. Have you ever had a problem with your peer? Can you give us an example?
Yes, it happened once. I was quite friendly with a colleague of mine from the other department. While talking to him during the lunch hour, I casually told him about the new marketing strategy that the marketing team was thinking about. He mentioned it to his boss and that caused a lot of confusion between the two departments. This taught me a lesson that you must not discuss any departmental strategies with anyone from other department unless you have been authorised by your boss.

5. I see, theres some gap in your work history. Why?

Yes, I was feeling exhausted after years of non-stop work. So, I decided to take a break and spend some time with my family on a rejuvenating vacation. I am happy to have returned fully recharged.

6. Can you tell us something about your previous boss?

All my bosses possessed some skills worth learning. I have always tried to learn something new from them including my previous boss.

7. Is there anything that you do not like about your last or current job?
I was quite enthusiastic while joining my last job. Towards the end, the number of challenges and opportunity to grow further started diminishing. A challenge loving and growth oriented person like me doesnt enjoy this.

8.Have there been instances, when your decision was challenged by your colleague or manager?
Yes, there have been many such instances. I like people who challenge my decisions rather than following me blindly. This keeps me ensured that I am surrounded by thinking brains rather than just a set of dumb followers. When someone challenges your decisions, you are bound to rethink over it and the chances of reaching the best option are brighter.

9. If you are allowed to change one thing about your last job, what would it be?
I have been working at a senior level since last many years. These roles have always needed me to make real time decisions. Sometimes the facts, figures and other information in real time cases are not complete & still we have to make a decision. In such cases, there exists a probability of making inaccurate decisions. Knowing this, I usually run down my old decisions to see the outcome. It makes sure that I dont repeat a mistake ever again in future. While carrying out one such exercise, I realised that the product promotion strategy that I recommended would have been different, if I had had the complete data and figures but there was no way to get them in real time.

10. How long can you commit to work with us?

I like new challenges and a chance to grow. As long I keeping getting these, I dont think Ill need to switch over. Id like to believe that this relationship lasts for many years. However, I havent set a time limit as such.

11. You seem to be drawing a good salary. Will you be OK in taking a salary cut?
I believe that at one point of time in career salary becomes secondary and self actualisation become more important. While taking up any new job, it will be my priority to ensure that the work culture, chances to contribute and grow are sufficient along with the money I am paid. I also believe that any good company who cares about its employees ensures that they are paid well.

12. What is your expected salary?

I believe that an ideal remuneration for any position recognises the ability, rewards the performance and provides the employee an opportunity to indulge in his hobbies and passions. I am sure that this company also takes care of these.

13. Would you like to ask us anything?

I would like to know about the career growth I can expect being with this company. I am quite an ambitious person and this information will be helpful.

1. Tell us something about yourself.

This is the first question, you can expect during any interview you face. This usually is a question to start the communication and set the ball rolling for the interview. You can answer this question by providing some information about your work experience, technologies you have worked upon, educational qualifications. If you are a fresh graduate, you can provide some information about your family also. The trick is to put the full stop at the right place to provoke the next question you want. For e.g. Recently I developed a website using Drupal. It was quite an interesting but challenging job which I enjoyed.

2. Why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this position?

The answer to this question lies in the preparation you did before the interview. It is extremely important that you research the requirements of the position well and match them with your skills. For e.g. if the position requires an Asp.net developer with good knowledge of health care domain, tell the interviewer about your technical skills and your domain knowledge. Fresh graduates can talk about their technical skills, ability to learn and grasp things quickly.

3. Why do you want to leave your present job or company?

You may want to leave your present job for any reason but make sure that you do not talk bad about your manager, company or job. It reflects your complaining attitude. Provide a sincere reason for e.g. I think, I have grown up with my last employer as much as I could. I want to grow further and I believe that is possible with a new employer.

4. You have stayed in your current job for quite a long time, why?
There are many people who do not change their jobs for years and when they go out looking for a new employer, this is one of the most important questions they are asked. Some people might look upon staying with the same employer for long as lack of ambition. A good answer to this question can be something like, Yes, you are right. I stayed with my last employer for almost 5 years but I was continuously growing in the company, doing new things, handling bigger challenges. So, I was quite happy working with them for these many years. You can then talk about how you grew with your last employer.

5. What do you know about us?

Research the company and its business a bit before appearing for the interview. Also, find out a bit about the technologies they work upon. You dont need to know everything inside out but having a

fair idea about the company makes you appear interested in the position, to be taken seriously. For e.g. I see that your company does a lot of projects based on OpenSource platforms like Joomla, Drupal, Magento which is quite interesting as I have a similar kind of experience.

6. What do you do to improve your knowledge?

The field of IT is very revolutionary. It is extremely important to keep yourself abreast with the new technological developments and this needs you to take some time out of your work schedule so that you can keep sharpening your saw. To answer this question, you can tell the recruiter about the forums which you keep visiting, blogs which you keep reading. It will be an advantage if you are a member of some local user group.

7. Can you perform under pressure?

Most of the times, the job of software development is that of working under pressure. Sometimes, it will be the pressure of delivering on time while it can be that of a bug that has sprung all of a sudden in your code. So, expect pressure in everything you do. It is important to maintain your performance and develop strategies to deliver under pressure. You can then go ahead an talk about your way of dealing with pressure and performing under it.

8. Tell us some of your strengths.

Again, it is important to study the requirements of the position before you appear for the interview. List out your strengths and offer the ones that this role demands. For e.g. if you are appearing for the position of a Tech Lead VB.net, talk about your VB.net skills, any extra knowledge which you have about coding with VB.net in comparison to other candidates, your team management skills etc.

9. Tell us some of your weaknesses.

You have to be careful while answering this question. Do not offer a weakness which will directly affect your selection but at the same time saying that you do not have any weakness will not be right too. Every human being has weaknesses, so it is perfectly OK for you to have some too. The best way to answer this question will be to turn one of your strengths as a weakness and say that others accuse you of having this weakness but you think it is important to work in this manner. For e.g.: My colleagues accuse me of paying to much att ention to syntaxes but I believe it is important when you are writing the code to avoid spending too much time on finding and fixing the bugs later on. Another way to answer this question is to offer a totally un-related weakness for e.g. I have been staying alone for so many years now but I still cant cook independently.

10. Are you comfortable working in a team?

The whole work of software development or IT is a team work. So, the only answer to this question can be: Yes, I am comfortable working in a team. If you have any problems in working as a team,

it is important to work on them and develop yourself as a team player.

11. How do you rate your communication skills?

Again, IT is about dealing with people within and out of the company. So, it is important to have good communication skills. By good communication skills we mean, ability to understand and explain in a common language. So, if you believe that your communication skills are weaker, you need to work on them. Anything less than average or good is not acceptable here.

12. You do not have all the experience we need for this position?
It is not possible for a candidate to have all the experience an employer requires. Even if you match yourself up to the expectations on technical front, there will be some difference in the work environment. And, it is absolutely fine. The best way to deal with this question is to analyse the requirements of the position well and match your skills as close to them as possible. If something is still left untouched, offer your quick grasping power and ability to learn quickly as a solution & back it up with an example from the past.

13. How would you compensate for the lack of experience you have for this position?
As we discussed in the last question, your ability to understand and pick up new things quickly should be able to compensate for the lack of work experience you have.

14. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for in a potential candidate?
Closely understand the qualities and skills a person holding the position would need and match them with the qualities you have. If you believe that you are missing a big quality required for the position under discussion, say that, I understand that this is an important quality required in the person holding this position but given a chance, I will inculcate it in me. Back it up with a confident body lang uage.

15. Do you know anyone who works for us?

Offer some ones name if they really know you well and can offer a positive feedback about you.

16. What is your style of management?

In todays scenario, everything needs customization, so here also, one size cant fit all i.e. one management style wont work in all situations. So, offer situational as your style of management.

17. Have you ever fired anyone? How would you go about firing a person, if required?
The basic purpose of asking this question is to check your EQ and see if you have the guts to

make tough decisions. If you have fired anyone in the past, discuss your experience and approach. If you have never done so in the past, discuss the approach you would take to make and implement such a decision. Keep the focus of your answer on the fact that you would try to do your best to ensure that your team performs to its best but if a particular member is not able to perform even after you taking all the steps to help him, you would make the tough decision to ensure that the project doesnt suffer.

18. What irritates you about co-workers?

The purpose of this question is to see how well you can fit into a team. Basically, you should not have a problem with a person, although you can have a problem with the style of working. So, to answer this question you can simply say, I understand that IT is about team work, so we cant afford to problems with co-workers but if someone is not serious about their work or does a low quality work affecting the whole project, I definitely do not like it

19. Is there any particular kind of person you can not work with?
For the reason given in the above questions, the answer to this question should be a No. This is basically a different way of putting up the last question.

20. What qualities would you look for in your senior?

You can mention some generic qualities like intelligence, good sense of humour, dedicated to his team etc., which all the managers think that they have in abundance.

21. What motivates you at work?

To answer this question, you can mention things like new challenges, good environment which all employers think that they offer.

22. Will you be happy to work in night shifts or over the weekends?
You need to answer this question taking into consideration what is suitable for you. Say that you can work in the night shifts, only if you can really do it.

23. Have you ever committed a mistake at work?

To err is human. So, it is perfectly OK if you committed a mistake at work but before answering the question analyse the magnitude of mistake you did and the effect it had on the company. What is more important is what did you do to rectify the mistake and make sure that you dont do it again? So, mention the mistake you committed and keep the focus of the answer on the steps you took to rectify it.

24. What position would you prefer while working on a project?

This question is for you to answer based on the skills and qualities you have. If you have the

capability to handle different positions, discuss that also in the interview.

25. What are the most important things for you as a manager?
The two things which should be most important for a manager to succeed in his role are: a.) His team should be happy and keep performing b.) The project he is working on with his team is successfully finished with minimum problems.

26. Will you be happy to re-locate, if required?

Again, a question for you to answer based on your position. If you are anticipating this question in the interview, it is better to discuss this with your family also before you go to face the interview.

27. What kind of a salary are you looking for?

Try to put the ball back in interviewers court by asking him about the salary they offer for a position like this. Most of the big companies will have a fixed remuneration for each level. However, if this is negotiable, you will have more negotiation power if you have some work experience. So, know your lower limit (amount below which you cant go) and also know the maximum salary in the industry for the position then put forward a figure which is not very exact. It is better to mention a range. For e.g. if you are expecting something around 55 K, say that you expect something in mid fifties. Dont keep the range to broad otherwise you will be offered something towards the lower end. If you are a fresher, most of the times you will have to accept the companys offering for the position. However, if you find it too less, you can definitely discuss that during the interview.

28. Do you have any questions for us?

This is usually the last question you can expect during an interview. It is extremely important to have some intelligent questions to ask the interviewer otherwise you may just sound dull and uninterested. Research the company a bit and discuss if they have been in news recently. You can also discuss about the growth prospects for you within the company etc.

29. Discuss the most stressful situation you came across in your previous job.
Here you should discuss a stressful situation that you were able to overcome and keep a positive tone, do not say you never came across a stressful situation. Typical answers can be: -Our teams targets were increased three fold and initially everyone was overwhelmed by the number, but we discussed it with our manager and he was co-operative and understood the situation. But he wanted us to give it a try and was ready to reduce the targets to a more realistic number. -You can also talk about a very demanding project where you worked for long hours/2 shifts and had to sacrifice on family time, but once the project was done you got recognition for the hard work and you were over the stress.

30. For how long do you expect to stay with our organization?
You should ensure that you give an impression that you will pay back more than what you take from the company:

-You can say I will stay here as far as I see an opportunity for growth, as I am looking for a stability in work place -If they stress on number of years say 3-4 years, and more if I can explore new challenges/growth opportunities

31. Why should we hire you?

-Here you should discuss the profile you have applied for and your strengths/experience with which you can add value to the job -Discuss your achievements at your previous job, and say that I have developed my skills to suit my current profile, but I want to develop myself futher and face new challenges, and for that I need to change my job. - I will always be willing to change roles share responsibilities to suit company requirements

32. Discuss your strengths

Discuss strengths that show your professional expertise, some of the answers could be: -Multi tasking: Say I have been working on mulitple project and I am required to keep tabs on each project and co-ordinate with a lot of teams, and I am able to do it efficiently. -Problem Solving: You can say that in my current job role I have spent a good time to know how to solve problems. My team members see me as a go-to person to solve issues. -Communication -Team player -Quick learner Support each point with your examples

33. Discuss your weaknesses and how do you plan to overcome it

Discuss weaknesses in positive light always discuss how you plan to overcome it, some of the answers could be: -I am always willing to take up additional responsibilities, but I end up being over worked so now I am realistic about what I can do, so that I do work to the required standards -If you lack certain technical skill, which is not crucial for the job you can state that and say you are planning to take up a training course/certification to get over it -If you do not wish to discuss your weakness, you can say, I cannot compete with Rajnikant :P

34. What is your idea of an ideal company?

Do not go over board and ask for , it might give an impression that you are too demanding, some of the answers could be: -An ideal company provides maximum opportunities for growth of employees. -They provide comfortable and flexible work environment, so that employees can perform at their best and work towards companys benefit. -A company that encourages learning -A company that encourages open culture

35. Why are you leaving your previous job?

Do not go around defaming your company, it will give a bad impression about you. Give reasons such as: -Professional Growth -New challenges -Change in profile -Planning to relocate (if applicable)

-With time I found my job was becoming monotonous and I didnt want this to have any impact on the job I was doing for my employer -I am not actively looking for a job change but, I saw this opening and it looked interesting.

36. Tell us something about your achievements at your previous job.

-Talk about your professional acheivements, if you were recognised as a high performer or you got good feedback from your manager -You can also discuss you annual ratings -Discuss your promotions/appraisals

37. Tell us what do you know about our company

-Browse through the company website and make sure you know what the company does and make sure you do so in short -Discuss the positives aspects of the company, the interviewer should feel that you have done your home work 10. Why do you want to work for us? -Start by discussing the profile you have applied for and go on to say that the organization would provide an opportunity to enhance your knowledge and help you to grow professionally -Discuss how you would be of use to the organization and how you plan to develop your professional competencies

38. Are you willing to relocate/travel?

-Always say yes if you need the job -You can ask whether they will compensate for relocation costs

39. Are you a good team player?

Companies look for team players as well as those who are self starters and can work independently, so you need to be versatile: -You should show that you enjoy working in a team. Say that you are open to suggestions from team members and seniors. -It is always good to work in a team as one can get the support of other members and in times of crisis everyone can work together to achieve the goal.

40. Can you work independently?

-Yes, I can work independently without supervision or support from a team Do not emphasize on working independently as that will be seen as an inability to work with others.

41. Do you have any questions for us?

Always have a question ready to answer this one: -You can ask whether the company allows for lateral and vertical role changes -You can also ask whether the company encourages learning and development of employees -Ask whether the company has plans for expansion -You can also discuss your role in detail

42. Are you willing to work for long hours, if the project demands that from

you?
-Discuss situations when you must have done so to fulfill project requirements in the past

43. What is your current CTC and what are your expectations?
-Be honest about your CTC, as you will have to produce you salary slip as a proof of emplyment -Be realistic when you state your expected CTC, you can ask for a 30-40% hike -If you are underpaid at your current company you can look for the standard salary paid for the experience you have and ask for that amount

44. Are you planning to go for further studies?

Be transparent in your answer. -If you are pursuing further studies, say so. Tell them why you want to go for that course -If you are taking up a distance education course or a part time course, they should know, as you will need to take leaves when you appear for exams

45. Tell us something about yourself, discuss 5 characteristics

List down points that will help you professionally: -Independent -Responsible -Hard working -Multi tasker -Prompt -Add your characteristcs

46. Tell us something about your hobbies

Answer it with honesty, as they can go deeper into this discussion. You can include: -Browsing the internet -Blogging, -Listening to music, -Chatting with friends -Reading newspapers, -Reading books, -Shopping, -Watching movies.

47. What is more important to you money or success?

This is tricky question, as money and success both are important and you cannot outweigh the importance of one over the other. Personally you might prefer money over success or success over money, but it is better to be neutral when answering this question in an interview: You can say, that money and success both are important for you, but if you have to choose you would choose success. The reason being, if one is successful money often follows and you need not focus on money over success..

Modern day HR Interview questions and answers

Going to face an HR interview? Dont be surprised if you do not get asked the age old questions like Why should we hire you? Or Tell us your two strengths/ weaknesses. Instead, expect to see the unexpected. Tired of mundane questions with typical answers, HR interviewers are now replacing the traditional HR interview questions with modern questions. The focus is on discovering the various aspects of a candidates personality with questions based on practical situations. Read ahead to find modern day HRs favourite questions and an approach to answer them. Mind here, theres no right or wrong answer to these questions, its just your approach that matters.

1. Can you tell me about the most exciting aspect of your job?
Answer: The purpose of this question is to see how excited you are about the things you do and your inclination towards any particular thing. To answer this question, discuss about the important things that you do in your job and then go on to explain any particular thing that you like to do the most. Also, explain the reasons behind liking that particular activity. For e.g. Being in the field of marketing some of my important responsibilities are getting the collaterals developed, interacting with the online and print media, crafting effective marketing messages, training the new recruits etc. Having an interest in training I find, training the new recruits and getting them hit the road most exciting. This tells the recruiter that given a job to manage a team of new recruits, you will be able to handle them well.

2. If you are asked to do something different in your job, what would it be? Why?
Answer: The purpose of this question is to check your ability to think logically out of the box and take an action. This question can be answered by telling the recruiter about something that you think can make a difference to the job you are currently doing. For a better explanation, convert the actions you propose into results. Also, at this point in time, you need to tell them about the action you have taken with your proposal this saves you from being perceived just as a thinker. For e.g. I believe that communicating the information of our new ad -campaign to the internal team will motivate everyone and also have them perform with more vigour. The template for this is in process and very soon we will see it in action.

3. Has there been a time when you went beyond your job role? How did you take up the challenge?
Answer: This question aims to see, if you are happy to extend yourself beyond your regular job or

do you like to perform only a given set of activities. This is also a test of your flexibility. Explain about how you went about doing that extra thing focussing on its effect on the organization. For e.g. I have been working in my current company for last 4 years, so I know the business pretty well. Whenever theres a new initiative required to be taken in the business, I am one of the very first choices of the top management. Some time back the company decided to start a new department whose responsibility will be to attract new customers. Initially it was to be done on the trial basis and I was given the responsibility to perform this trial. I could do it successfully, without much assistance from the seniors. Today, this department has 5 employees working in it and the business has grown up by 40%.

4. Describe the work environment of your dream job.

Answer: Many employees leave the job or are laid off because they are a misfit to the work environment. The purpose of this question is to see if your perception of a good work environment is similar to the environment in this organization. Theres no wrong or right answer for this question. Communicate the factors important to you in your work environment. Additionally, you can ask them about the work environment in the company when given a chance.

5. Describe your imaginary co-worker to us.

Answer: Your imagination about your co-workers helps the interviewer in understanding your readiness to take up a particular position, your team playing attitude and your style of management. For example, if you are being interviewed for a managerial position, you can say something like: Being the leader of team, I would like my team to be full of energy and vigour. They should be able to think creatively and put across their views without any fear. While being independent thinkers, they must respect the discipline at work and focus on performance. I would appreciate that each team member must respect each others views and yes, Ill ensure that they get a congenial environment to work in.

6. Describe your imaginary boss to me.

Answer: Your answer to this question gives the interviewer an insight into your style of management and your ability to get along with the boss. Answer this question by focussing on the qualities you may seek in your boss like good knowledge, respect for team members, understanding, good sense of humour which every boss would like to think, they have in abundance. Make sure that at no point of time, your answer shows that you need a boss who doesnt question you back or gives you too much liberty as this might mean that you do not like discipline and cant get along well with people.

7. Describe your work life as a news headline. Why would it be so?

Answer: Prima facie this may look like a question testing your creative skills but dont go by the looks of it. This is the twisted form of our traditional question Tell us something about yourself. So, define your work life and provide it a good heading. Sum up the factors that make you choose the heading.

8. Have you ever been in a situation where significant change was made to your team, department or organisation? How did you adjust?
Answer: The purpose of this question is to check your adaptability and flexibility. Did you feel victimized? Answer this question by mentioning the change that was made but the main focus should be on how you adjusted in that situation and the results you achieved afterwards. For example you can say something like, Being an early joiner in the marketing team, I opened a lot of new customer accounts. Over the time the team grew and we had more people in the team opening more accounts. At one point of time, we had to re-distribute the accounts area wise so that a particular territory can be allotted to each one of us. This re-distribution meant loss of my high performing accounts and a requirement to develop new accounts in the assigned territory. Initially, it looked difficult but I could understand the need for this re-distribution and saw more opportunities for the company and myself. I introduced my colleagues to the old accounts I held and started strategizing for better ways to tap the new territory. Within 6 months, I could develop 50 new accounts with the help of new strategy. Usually we would achieve this result in 9 months to a year.

9. Have you ever conducted an on the job training? Describe your experience.
This question tests your subject knowledge, training capabilities and communication skills. Explain the interviewer, the role you held, the training plan and material you developed and the actual training you imparted. Focus on how you measured the performance and how soon could you get the new recruits hit the ground running.

10. Have you ever felt being overloaded with work? How did you deal with it?
The purpose of this question is not to see whether you feel overwhelmed by work because at some point of time all of us experience that. The basic purpose of the question is to see how you do handle it. Discuss the strategies like prioritizing the work, taking quick actions, striking off the completed items from the list, delegation etc. or anything else you do to handle the work pressure. They demonstrate your ability to manage different things effectively.

11. Have you had a chance to give feedback about another person? How did it help them?
This question aims to check your ability to analyse others and communicate your thoughts. Focus your answer on the factors, on which your assessment was based and the way you communicated it.

12. Give an example where you had a hot discussion with an internal party or external party.

On the face of it this may sound like a question trying to check your temper but the real purpose is to see who caused the problem and what role did you play in it were you the one who caused the problem or solved it? To answer the question you may chose an example, mention about the problem and focus on how you went about solving the problem. For e.g. I was pretty upset with the way one of my colleagues was working as my activities were dependent on what he did. I tried to explain it to him but he would turn a deaf ear to it. One fine day we had an argument over it I decided to solve it between us as our manager was occupied with something more important. I proposed that we discussed it in the meeting room rather than in open. I told him how his activities were having a negative impact on his and my work & the department as a whole. I listened to his point of views as well and realised that he had not understood the process well. We spent two hours together understanding and streamlining the process. Once we implemented this process, we saw our problems going down and our performance improved.

13. Have you ever given a feedback on anyones poor performance?

It may look like the interviewer is trying to judge your back-biting habit but the real purpose of the question is to see if you take proactive measures in things which you think may harm the company and inform the stakeholders. Focus your answer on your proactive approach and the process you adopted to give the feedback.

14. Has there been any chance when your boss was not very happy with your performance?
Not being able to perform well on certain things is not a problem. The purpose here is to see what did you do about your poor performance? Were you able to analyse the reasons for your poor performance? How did you deal with them? A person who can assess his own performance is a great asset for a manager. Discuss about how you analysed your performance and took corrective actions to answer this question.

15. How would you deal with a team member who is consistently underperforming?
As a manager you will come across team members who do not perform well. With this question, the interviewer tries to see your way of dealing with underperforming employees and your ability to make hard decisions if their performance doesnt improve. Explain about the steps like counselling, training, job rotation you would take to help the employee improve his performance & ultimately your ability to make the hard decision if nothing works.

Tell me about yourself.

This is normal and most sought after question in any interview. If you go with preparation, you will feel light and look convincing. Your answer should match up with the job requirement. You need to be specific and relevant to the need. Just remember, you must sell what the buyer is buying. Thus, it is imperative to unearth the depth

of requirement before appearing for an interview. After doing so, cherry pick only those skills and experience that the interviewer is trying to buy while projecting yourself. While answering this question, you can well set up ground for next and possible follow-up question. Just end you answer at a point which can be a base for a subsequent question.

What are your greatest strengths?

Here you can speak about your strengths but please ensure to state only buyable strengths. Don't bore him by bragging about yourself. Reading and analyzing job profile before appearing for an interview is imperative in order to match up your response with the need. You can answer this question by adding some of the strengths that are relevant to the job profile.

What are your greatest weaknesses?

The best strategy is to disguise strength as a weakness. You can even state a weakness that is irrelevant to your work. Please don't say that you don't have any weakness. Everyone has some weaknesses and nothing wrong in accepting them.

Why are you leaving current position?

This is very important and make sure youve prepared a brief reason for leaving. You can give reasons like opportunity, responsibility or growth. You can say that job redundancy is one reason but reassure that you are not against redundant job but it should offer some sort of challenge.

Why should I hire you?

To answer this question, you should well aware of the need of the employer. Help the employer to take decision and spell out the skills you possess. Try to convince that you are the one who can fulfill the vacuum for the post. Quote you previous similar experience if any.

Arent you overqualified for this position?

With this question, the employer is trying to gauge if he can expect a long-term commitment. It is entirely on you to mould you answer in such a way that would erode doubt from his mind. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that youre looking to stay for the long-term will help you overcome this objection.

Where do you see yourself in five years from now?

You can say that you prefer to work on the assignment at hand with excellence and believe that future opportunities would be taken care of themselves. Instead of think too much for future course, you prefer to be in present and perform.

Why do you want to work at our company?

You can come out with best answer to this only when you have done in-depth research Go though annual reports, the corporate newsletter, and contacts you know at the company or its

suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press.

What are your career options right now?

You can be honest about prospective options at hand by adding that though youre greatly appreciated in you present company but you are looking for more challenging and responsible work. If you are a fresher you can say that you are already in touch with few companies but nothing have materialized as yet. You are eying a positive result here and sure of your job hunting end here.

Why have you been out of work so long?

You need to emphasize factors that have prolonged your job search by your own choice. You can attribute recession as one of the factor stating that not many opportunities are in the offer.

What are the bad qualities in you present boss?

Remember the rule: Never be negative. Stress only the good points, no matter how charmingly youre invited to be critical. He wants to find out how loyal and positive you are, and whether youll criticize him behind his back if pressed to do so by someone in this own company. This question is your opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty to those you work with.

What good books have you read lately?

This is not a usual question unless you are up for a position in academia or as book critic. But if you come across such question, you can talk about any work related book that you gone through if any. You can also talk about any other books that you have recently read. If you are not a book freak, you can state that you usually hook to the newspaper.

Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.

Your honest answer will always score high for you. You can quote one of the situations where you were at the receiving end and how you coped up and overhauled the situation. You can also state the lesson and experience you earned.

How do you feel about reporting to a younger person (minority, woman, etc)?
You can say that you always prefer to work in the environment where hires and promotes are done on merit alone. The age (gender, race, etc.) of the person would certainly make no difference to you. You believe that anyone who is entrusted with certain job must have earned it.

How could you have improved your career progress?

State that you are quite happy with your career progress barring few mistakes that could be avoided. Highlight some of mistakes you committed and how you have rectified them. While answering, you should take all responsibilities for where you are, how youve gotten there, where

you are goingand you harbor no regrets.

Who has inspired you in your life and why?

There are many stalwart that inspire you. You believe in learning from everyone. Every person has some unique qualities that can inspire. One needs to explore and extract those qualities from everyone.

What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?

Be prepared with a good example, explaining why the decision was difficult, the process you followed in reaching it and the courageous or effective way you carried it out.

Youve been with your firm a long time. Wont it be hard switching to a new company?
You have to highlight that you tackled, faced, adapted and conquered to changing conditions at your present firm. Since you have held with many different responsibilities and adapted easily, you don't see any objection in thriving to new challenging environment.

May I contact your present employer for a reference?

You can say that you have no objection for this but express your concern that it would be better if you could do it after arriving some sort of agreement. You can even be honest in stating that your present employer is not aware of you hunting and you would appreciate to have any contact with them after having arrived some sort of agreement.

Where could you use some improvement?

You can stress the point that you look for improvement on everything at hand. There is always a scope of improvement and you always look for such scope.

You dont have as much experience?

To get past this question with flying colors, you are going to rely on your master strategy of uncovering the employers greatest wants and needs and then matching them with your strengths. .

How do you feel about working nights and weekends?

Be honest about how you would fit into the picture. If all those extra hours make you uncomfortable, say so, but phrase your response positively.

Are you willing to relocate or travel?

Again phrase your response positively and assert that youd be open to relocating (or traveling) for the right opportunity.

Do you have the stomach to fire people?

Firing is a last resort. But when its got to be done, its got to be done, and the faster and cleaner, the better.

Would you lie for the company?

Try to give answer which will cover both the bases effectively. You personal integrity is also important. If aggressively pressed to choose between two competing values, always choose personal integrity. It is the most prized of all values.

What was the toughest challenge youve ever faced?

Have a recent example ready that demonstrates challenge you faced and overcome. Try to stress the lesson you have extracted.

What was the toughest part of your last job?

You can say that there are no tasks that are overly tough. Sometime unreasonable deadlines toss the challenge but you take it in your stride.

Could you have done better in your last job?

Rule is not to be negative. I suppose with the benefit of hindsight you can always find things to do better, of course, but off the top of my head, I cant think of anything of major consequence.

Can you work under pressure?

Say yes and back it up with a vivid example and project accomplished under severe pressure.

What makes you angry?

Avoid giving any specific reason for you getting angry. Say that it's a general tendency of a human being and you are no exception. You do get angry but you don't go out of control.

Why arent you earning more money at this stage of your career?
You can say that you have this concern and you yourself have asked this question to you. But reassure that you are not bogged down as you have vivid experience and you can cash it on any time.